On Europe Day, European Green Party co-chairs, Evelyne Huytebroeck and Thomas Waitz wanted to share a short message with you:
Europe Day has traditionally been an opportunity to look back at Europe’s achievements in terms of peace and prosperity. This year it is impossible to celebrate the fact that the European Union has been a war-free land for almost 75 years in the same way as we have done before. However, we can still look back at the words of the Schuman Declaration, one of the founding fathers of the EU, which gave birth to the Europe we now celebrate every year on 9 May:
"Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity."
More than ever, Europe is facing an uphill battle. All across Europe, our health, our economies, our environment, and our communities are at stake. The Coronavirus crisis has put the European project to an unprecedented test. Its foundational pillar of solidarity has been badly shaken, leaving cracks that must be repaired.
There will be no return to normal, no business as usual. But crises are moments when Europe has shown its relevance, its capacity to take bold steps forwards. To overcome this unique crisis, Europe must act united in one direction. It must act towards a system change, towards a sustainable, social and Green Europe. Towards a Europe of more solidarity!
For the Greens solidarity is not an abstract concept. It is a concrete one! It means sharing the huge financial burden caused by the crisis. It means the most affected countries should receive more support so they can help their small businesses, their farmers, their artists, their care workers and all those who lost their jobs.
Last year we campaigned all around Europe under the slogan “Let’s Act. Together!” Today, it resonates even more. More than ever, Europe needs tightly knit communities, solidarity fighters, citizens and activists designing and implementing solutions from the ground up for a more just, fair, sustainable, and resilient Europe.
On Europe Day this year, we must remember that resilience, the capacity to overcome crises, must be a collective process. Resilience is not about individuals locking themselves up in bunkers, resilience is not about countries closing their borders and acting alone. Resilience is about the collective sharing of knowledge, solutions, resources and actionsto ensure that the whole community - including the weakest - can overcome the crisis. In short, resilience is about solidarity.
We, the European Green Party, have always believed that Europe as a project of peace and solidarity is not an outdated idea nor a process with a clear end. Instead, it is a constantly evolving project that requires the collective energies of all its members. As the European Green Party, we know we cannot build this Europe of solidarity on our own.
And although the current situation may force us to adapt our methods, it is more crucial than ever that we as Europeans, call on each other to unleash our capacity, and build our energy, for solidarity. You can be the next building block for this Europe of solidarity, you can take part in repairing the crack in this pillar: in your neighborhood communities, in local associations, in large NGOs, in political parties.
The European Greens will continue fighting for a stronger Europe of solidarity. And we hope that all of you, as active European citizens, can find your space to build a sustainable, resilient Europe where solidarity is at the core of all our actions.
